Address spaces (or name spaces), which can include related nodes, are used for presenting information models. Such information models may be products from individual manufacturers, such as the “ABB Aspect Object Model” from the ABB company, or standardized information models which define information presentation for particular applications, such as the OPC UA information model. OPC UA is a standard protocol specified by the OPC Foundation for manufacturer-independent communication, such as in process automation. The ABB Aspect Object Model is a model which presents data and characteristics (aspects) of a real object as software components and which—through the use of a single integrated architecture—simplifies the integration of different appliances and systems.
Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) which use such models can include powerful mechanisms for presenting address spaces in a manner which is suitable for the user. In principle, there are many different paradigms and approaches for visualizing address spaces, such as trees, lists and graphs. For example, customary is the use of a tree structure for different purposes, often also in connection with lists or tables. Although other paradigms can have advantages in some cases, the tree structure is used in many instances of application. For example, in the field of industrial automation, the tree presentation is a first choice for visualizing address spaces on account of the simplicity thereof. However, this very advantage can become a disadvantage when working with large address spaces with a meshed network of nodes, such as in the case of the OPC UA information model or in the case of the ABB Aspect Object Model. In such a case, visualization paradigms which show more details than trees would simplify work with the model and also understanding for some tasks.